Increase capacity building for key public local actors
Implementing NBS in local strategies and projects calls for capacity building for public workers across several sectors, and can be especially relevant in smaller municipalities with fewer resources.
Specific Advice
Implement knowledge and action-oriented capacity building programs about NBS for municipal planners, local decision makers and other public workers to improve their knowledge about how to take NBS into account in future processes. In this advice, we refer to the human resources part of capacity building, which can strengthen the ability of people and organisations to successfully manage NBS.
In this context, educational capacity building can be in the form of courses, workshops, peer-to-peer guidance, webinars, recommended literature, or other types of learning. These capacity building programs can be incentivised by economic funds, formal requirement of competencies in procurement of services, or by policies regarding documentation for the implementation of NBS in local strategies, projects and processes across several different areas.
The capacity building program should ensure dissemination of knowledge about NBS for a wide range of relevant actors. It should teach competencies for implementing NBS in local policies, strategies, practices and development projects to local actors. It is important to integrate the capacity building program in local culture, visions and missions and across different sectors and stakeholders, to broadly implement a regard for NBS, while anchoring the new capacities in a specific area of local government.
Good to Know
To achieve capacity building in local settings, it is important that this infiltrates several different areas and that the new capacities are anchored in a department with responsibility for pushing the agenda.
To learn and understand how NBS work, it is a good idea to use field visits to acquires practical knowledge which can be brought back into a policy context.
In order to ensure effective capacity building, resources should be allocated for this process. The same goes for the requirements for documentation or fulfilling demands as part of policies in this area.
It is important that the capacity building program is spread out and implemented across several public sectors, since this enhances the possibility of corporation in local processes and supports the implementation and mainstreaming of NBS in local projects, strategies and so on.
Context
There are many small municipalities with small environmental departments and few resources in the Nordic countries. At the same time, there are broad requirements and demands for knowledge and competences to be able to implement NBS in local practices.
Lack of knowledge and expertise among local decision-makers has been identified as a barrier for NBS implementation. This makes it difficult to prioritize NBS and equally difficult to implement it in local governance and amongst local actors and practitioners. It is demanding to implement NBS competences in a local setting, which is why there must be policies in place that can support and reinforce this. Especially in municipalities with few resources, it can be demanding for local public workers to manage NBS capacity building themselves.
For a capacity building program to be successful, it is important to take into consideration how to make the educational elements as down to earth and practice oriented as possible, with regards to the context of the different local public actors that have been mapped relevant for the capacity building efforts.
Examples and Cases
Nordic examples of increasing capacity building for key local public actors:
#NORWAY – Enhancing competence and knowledge of planners regarding nature and NBS
In 2024, the Norwegian environment agency in a collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, launched a project where they are enhancing the expertise of municipal planners on nature (among other things). Before its official launch, the project has been developed for almost a year. The initiative is called Knowledge arena for climate and nature in planning (Kunnskapsarena for klima og natur i planlegging). It consists of a series of webinars and written guidance directed towards municipal planners and other stakeholders responsible for spatial planning. It focuses on climate adaptation, reduction of emissions, and biodiversity in planning work.
More information about the (Enhancing competence and knowledge of planners regarding nature and NBS) can be found here:
Kunnskapsarena for klima og natur i planlegging
https://www.miljodirektoratet.no/kunnskapsarena#:~:text=En%20webinarserie%20og%20m%C3%B8teplass%20for,Milj%C3%B8direktoratet%20og%20Kommunal%2D%20og%20distriksdepartementet [in Norwegian]Webinar: Klima og naturhensyn i planstrategien
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhKALVxwcFA [in Norwegian]Another example from Norway is a course on NBS for municipalities provided by the regional county authorities in Møre og Romsdal. The course is financed by the Norwegian environment agency. It consists of six two-hour webinars and a one-day in-person guidance session.
#DENMARK – Masterclass in nature-based climate adaptation
In 2023, the Danish public-private network “The National Network for climate adaptation” organised courses on nature-based climate adaptation for their members. The goal was to build awareness around nature-based climate adaptation methods by educating public and private administrators in how these methods can be used to reduce risk for flooding and drought in urban areas. The course was held across four times by a university professor and was built up by lectures and exercises for the participants.
More information about the Masterclass in nature-based climate adaptation can be found here:
#SWEDEN – Building knowledge through an online course
The Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning have published online information material and an online course in their knowledge bank. The material is directed towards municipal planners, and describes how climate adaptation can be integrated into municipal planning processes through regulations, municipal plans and zoning plans. The material forwards blue and green solutions such as constructed wetlands and use of urban trees, and provides concrete examples of how these can be integrated into the planning. It also describes the positive consequences application of these solutions may have.
More information about building knowledge through online course can be found here:
Boverket (2023). Klimatanpassning.
Klimatanpassning - BoverketOnline course on climate adaptation
Start - in English - BoverketLearn more
Urban GreenUP NBS Selection Tool:
The tool is designed to help local governments choose from different NBS in the project’s catalogue. URBAN GreenUP is an EU funded project focusing on Renaturing Urban Plans in a number of European and non-European partner cities.https://www.urbangreenup.eu/resources/nbs-selection-tool/nbs-selection-tool.klUNaLab Municipal Governance for NBS:
The UNaLab project has developed governance guidelines for nature-based solutions. This report provides a summary: https://unalab.eu/system/files/2020-02/municipal-governance-nature-based-solutions2020-02-17.pdfInternational Obligations
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, target 21 “
Ensure that the best available data, information and knowledge, are accessible to decision makers, practitioners and the public to guide effective and equitable governance, integrated and participatory management of biodiversity, and to strengthen communication, awareness-raising, education, monitoring, research and knowledge management and, also in this context, traditional knowledge, innovations, practices and technologies of indigenous peoples and local communities should only be accessed with their free, prior and informed consent, in accordance with national legislation.”Sustainable Development Goal 4
“Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”